The invention relates to glass panes, in particular automotive glass panes, with built-in components detachably fixed thereto with the aid of retaining sockets, and to retaining sockets for the same.
Glass panes and in particular automotive glass panes are being equipped with an ever-increasing diversity of functions, which as a rule are made available by means of built-in parts connected permanently or detachably to the glass pane. Several examples of such functions are the reception and transmission of electromagnetic signals with the aid of antennas for frequency ranges in the kHz range up to the GHz range, the detection of ambient conditions or of signals with the aid of sensors such as rain, temperature or light sensors, the emission of light with the aid of brake or signal lights, the use of glass panes as carriers of devices such as mirrors using mirror bosses, and many more. The built-in parts to be affixed in this regard to the glass panes comprise elements such as, for example, antennas, electronic components such as for example antenna amplifiers, terminals or connectors, brake lights in the form of individual lights or light clusters, optical or electrical rain sensors and many others.
In some cases, the built-in parts are not only to be mechanically connected to the glass pane, but in addition an electrical connection is to be produced with contacting points of functional elements such as antennas, heating elements or suchlike integrated into the glass pane or connected thereto, said contacting points being disposed on or in the glass pane.
The mechanical connection of built-in parts to glass panes takes place in practice, for example, by means of techniques such as gluing, clamping, moulding-on, soldering, welding. Drawbacks of such connecting techniques, which as a rule are permanent and undetachable, are, amongst others, the costly production of the mechanical connection, which on account of the application-specific character frequently cannot be automated or can be so only with large investment outlay, as well as a high outlay in the event of any repairs.
For the electrical connection of built-in parts with contacting points on/in the glass pane, use is usually made of soldering techniques, but also electrically conductive adhesives. It has also been proposed to press electrical contacts of built-in parts using elastic prestressing against assigned contacting points on the glass pane and thus to provide an electrical contact (amongst others, WO 2004/034510 A1).
It is common, especially for the detachable fixing of built-in parts such as interior mirrors or rain sensors on windscreens of motor vehicles, firstly to glue a retaining socket to the glass pane and then, at the latest after the installation of the glass pane in the motor vehicle, to connect the built-in part mechanically to the retaining socket and thereby to fix it to the glass pane (e.g. WO 99/21206 A1).
The use of a retaining socket has also already been proposed for the fixing of high-frequency devices, i.e. antenna amplifiers or antenna matching circuits. DE 198 23 202 C2 discloses a frame-like retaining socket for the detachable accommodation of one such high-frequency device. The frame-like retaining socket surrounds a plurality of contacting points of antenna conductors printed on the glass pane. It has, in the flat strip-like frame legs, projections pointing towards the frame interior, under which projections there can be pushed lugs provided at the edge of the high-frequency device to be accommodated by the retaining socket, as a result of which the high-frequency device is pressed against the glass pane in the accommodation space formed by the frame-like arrangement and is fixed thereto. The projections are designed either as guide rails disposed on three sides, which permit the high-frequency device to be pushed into the accommodation space parallel to the surface of the glass pane, or they are perforated. In the latter case, the high-frequency device is first introduced perpendicular to the glass pane into the accommodation space of the frame-like retaining socket and then pushed slightly to the side in the latter for the purpose of fixing. The high frequency device is equipped with spring contacts, which at the same time as the fixing of the high-frequency device make contact in a detachable manner with the contacting points on the glass pane inside the frame-like retaining socket. The previously known retaining socket is intended solely for the fixing of built-in parts such as antenna amplifiers to glass panes and is designed comparatively complex and costly, and on the other hand offers little flexibility of use.
Other technologies also consider the use of retaining sockets. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,704,204 discloses a casing for an IC card, where an IC package is inserted into a casing having two accommodation spaces. U.S. Pat. No. 5,035,635 discloses a revolving safety socket, wherein the retaining socket into which a plug is inserted is able to rotate between electrical contacts. U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,498 discloses a plug connector for electrical trunking, where the plug is inserted into a retaining socket having more than one accommodation space. However, none of these documents describe technologies suitable for fixing built-in parts to a glass pane.
The problem underlying the invention is to provide an improved retaining socket, which makes it possible to fix built-in parts of various kinds with various directions of movement during the fitting to glass panes. The retaining socket should be able to be produced cost-effectively and, if need be, enable an electrical contact between the built-in part and contacting points located on the glass pane for electrical arrangements or components integrated into the glass pane or connected therewith.
The solution to this problem is the subject-matter of claim 1. Advantageous developments are given in sub-claims 2-28.